Southern Methodist University’s top academic administrator is on the short list for a similar position in Wisconsin.

Paul W. Ludden, SMU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs since 2007, is one of four finalists for the provost job at Marquette University, a private Catholic institution in Milwaukee. According to Marquette’s website, Ludden spent two days on campus this week meeting with faculty, students and staff.

I’ve got requests in to Ludden and SMU spokespeople for comment. (UPDATE at 4:41 p.m.: I’m still unable to reach Ludden, who’s out of the office today. An SMU spokesman said Ludden is the appropriate person to comment.)

The Marquette Tribune wrote about Ludden’s visit and said he’s interested in coming to Marquette “because of its values.” He earned his PhD in Wisconsin and has a daughter living there. From the student paper: “Ludden also said he is most interested in being a provost again because it allows him the opportunity to work with faculty, students and staff to move the university forward.”

Marquette is slightly bigger than SMU (11,782 students versus 10,929). But Marquette’s endowment is about a third of SMU’s ($457.8 million versus $1.425 billion). Leaders at Marquette expect to name the provost in March.

Ludden’s potential departure from SMU comes at a pivotal time. On Thursday SMU began layoffs of 100 administrative employees. The university is cutting up to $35 million in administrative expenses, with much of the savings to be redirected into academics, according to President R. Gerald Turner. It’s part of an effort billed as “Project SMU: Operational Excellence for the Second Century.” (SMU was founded in 1911.)

“We anticipate that he make important contributions to our development if school leaders as well as assist us in advancing policy that focuses on school improvement,” Chard said.

Superintendent Mike Miles made Sevak, who came from Chicago Public Schools, one of his first hires in 2012. Sevak has been an assistant superintendent in the School Leadership Department, where he first oversaw principals. He most recently played a significant role in crafting DISD’s Teacher Excellence Initiative, the district’s performance-pay system.

Sevak leaves just before TEI goes into effect. Trustees approved it last month and the evaluation system begins in the 2014-15 school year.

Four of the five assistant superintendent Miles hired in 2012 have now left the district. Last month, Aurora Lora announced her exit to take an administrative role in Oklahoma City schools. The only remaining assistant superintendent from 2012 is Mauricio Dominguez. Their boss, Sylvia Reyna, is also retiring in July.

The high school grades for SMU guard Keith Frazier, left, were changed at Kimball High School last year, a Dallas ISD investigation has found.

Dallas ISD investigators are considering a review of district programs that have helped thousands of struggling seniors graduate after a separate investigation found that a top basketball recruit’s grades were improperly changed.

A DISD investigation uncovered that a former Kimball High School teacher assistant pressured other teachers there in May to increase a basketball player’s failing grades so that he would be eligible to attend Southern Methodist University this year. When teachers refused to change the grades, the assistant, Demarco King, modified them himself and sent the “fraudulent report card” to SMU, the DISD investigation found.

The report is heavily redacted, including all students’ names. But the only SMU player who went to Kimball is Keith Frazier, a highly recruited guard who led the high school to the Class 4A State Championship in 2012. The Dallas Morning News named him Area Player of the Year in 2013.

The investigation shows that an SMU assistant basketball inquired about the player’s academic grades in May, about the same time the report card was modified. In an interview with DISD investigators, SMU assistant athletic director Kyle Conder denied that the university asked or suggested that grades be changed

“Because we care about the potential of our student athletes to be academically successful at SMU, it is not unusual for a coach to inquire about the academic progress of a prospective student athlete,” the university said in a statement released Monday afternoon. “This is common practice among universities. In this way, it can be determined whether the student is on track to complete academic requirements and qualify for admission.”

Following SMU’s game on Sunday against the University of Houston, head coach Larry Brown told WFAA (Channel 8) that he didn’t know about the grade-changing allegations. The Dallas Morning News requested the investigation from Dallas ISD in December and received it Monday.

The report reveals King and volunteer Kimball basketball coach Toby Daniels scrambled last May to get the player’s grades changed as the school year came to a close. Without passing grades, Frazier would not qualify for the NCAA Clearinghouse, which is the registration system for college athletes.

The Dallas City Performance Center transformed into a caffeinated temple of ideas, inspiration and imagination this afternoon with a community version of Ted Talks for “kids.”

More than 400 7th and 8th graders from North Texas converged in the arts district for the independently produced version of “ideas worth spreading,” or TEDx.

Yes, many delivered rapid-fire, high-energy speeches in about 12-minute bites on poetry, music, technology, success, and, get this surprise: failure.

Courtney Ferrell, a self-described “creativity consultant” who has taught at business schools and is working on a book from a new perch in Dallas, told the crowd: “Mistakes are just as important to who we become as failures.”

Will Power, a hip-hop artist teaching at the SMU Meadows School of the Arts, preached acceptance within families, in a twist on the Indian philosopher Ghandi. “You have the creative power to retain and keep all the beautiful things that your parents and community give you,” Power said. At the same time, you can “drop the drama” and negative baggage that a family or community saddles you with, he said.

Others talked about vaccines hidden in plants (a medical doctor working for the Department of Defense agency DARPA) or the manner techno-gadgets are spreading like kudzu but possibly with more utility (sunglasses that can take photos).

“Awesome,” said Deborah Aladenika, a 14-year-old at a Carrollton middle school, summing up her experience. Particularly moving, she said, was “a kid who talked from her emotions…She talked about not letting something hold you back.”

Southern Methodist University launched the community event a few years back under the TEDx banner. It continues tomorrow with an all-adult line-up. TED stands for technology, entertainment and design. This polished form of public talk therapy dates back to 1984 in California. TED’s on a global growth spurt with videos, books, a fellowship program, a global prize, and who knows what more.